Indian Navy Begins Trials For Its First Rafale Marine Jets To Fly From Its Largest Indigenously Built Warship INS Vikrant

The Indian Navy is conducting trials of France’s Rafale-Marine fighter aircraft in Goa to assess the modifications required for the jets to operate from the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, defence officials said on Wednesday.

The trials are part of India’s preparations to induct 26 carrier-based fighters under a ₹63,000 crore agreement signed with France on April 28, 2025. Deliveries are expected to begin by the end of 2028 or early 2029, according to defence officials.

Built by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation, the Rafale-M is designed for aircraft carrier operations and is already in service with the French Navy. India will become the first international operator of the naval variant.

The trials in Goa will assess the Rafale-M’s compatibility with INS Vikrant’s launch and recovery systems and other onboard infrastructure.

INS Vikrant, India’s indigenous aircraft carrier, uses a Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) system. Aircraft take off from a ski-jump ramp and land by catching arrestor wires on the flight deck.

The Rafale-M has a naval-specific landing configuration and an arrestor hook for carrier operations. The trials are intended to validate the changes needed to operate the aircraft from INS Vikrant.

The Indian Navy operates two aircraft carriers, INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya. The 26 fighters being procured from France are intended for operations from both ships.

The agreement covers 22 single-seat Rafale-M fighters and four twin-seat aircraft. It also includes pilot training, flight simulators, weapons, essential equipment and long-term maintenance support.

The deal provides additional equipment for Rafale fighters already operated by the Indian Air Force. It also includes technology transfer to support the integration of Indian-made weapons, supporting the government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

The Rafale-M is a twin-engine, multirole fighter developed for the French Navy. Its intended missions include air defence, air superiority, reconnaissance, deep strikes and anti-ship operations.

The aircraft has a maximum take-off weight of 24.5 tonnes and is powered by two Safran M88-E4 turbofan engines. It can reach a maximum speed of Mach 1.8, or approximately 2,200 kmph.

Its sensor systems include the RBE2 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, which can detect and track multiple aerial and naval targets. The aircraft also has a Front Sector Optronics sensor and the SPECTRA electronic warfare suite, which help detect and respond to threats involving enemy radars, missiles and lasers.

The aircraft uses sensor-data fusion to combine information from different systems, giving pilots a consolidated picture of the tactical environment.

Its weapons include Meteor and MICA air-to-air missiles, SCALP long-range cruise missiles, AM39 Exocet anti-ship missiles and HAMMER precision-guided air-to-ground weapons.

The Indian Navy plans to use the Rafale-M for air defence, maritime strikes, reconnaissance and attacks against targets on shore.

The fighters are also intended to counter enemy aircraft and protect naval forces operating at sea. Their sensors and weapons will support operations against aerial, maritime and land-based targets.

References: TOI, EconomicTimes